Swans, Turtle Ducklings and Cuckoo Birds
by beifongfirebender
Summary: Five interactions between Kuvira and Opal. All before Kuvira's betrayal.


_**So recently I decided to try doing some shorter stuff, which if against my nature… I took one of the requests given to me for more little Kuvira, preferably being friends with little Opal.**_

_**I did the best I could, while trying to keep it, what I think is realistic for their situation.**_

_**I added some moments with other characters, too keep it interesting…**_

**oooooooooo**

Deep in the Earth Kingdom lives a bird that doesn't build a nest. Instead, it lays its eggs in the nests of other bird species and trusts they'll be well taken care of there. They usually were. Kuvira remembered reading about it in a science textbook and immediately feeling jealous. _At least the bird made sure her chicks had a home._ Her parents couldn't even be bothered to leave her to someone. The fact that Kuvira had food and a roof over her head after the age of eight was pure coincidence and a bit of luck. And she was grateful… But she was also aware it was a stranger's nest.

**oooooooooo**

**Kuvira (8) Opal (0)**

Suyin was in labor. For ten hours and counting... Kuvira wasn't really sure if it was normal or not. She never had any biological siblings. She wasn't even sure how small the baby would be.

"What are you so excited about?" Junior asked, while coloring in a giant, unevenly-drawn heart. His father suggested earlier he should take some time and make a nice card for his mother and then one for the baby.

"I can't wait to see the baby," Kuvira said, gluing a whole bunch of glitter to her card.

Baatar didn't really say anything to Kuvira, but he didn't forbid her from joining in, so she eventually did. Her card for Suyin was done, and drying off on a near by table as she worked to make the baby's card even more grand. Even babies liked glitter, didn't they?

"You'll just be disappointed… They're pretty boring and they cry _all _the time." He was already done somehow, while Kuvira continued.

"Maybe this one won't. Maybe it's a nice baby."

"You know, they won't let you in like that…" He gestured to her hands that were covered in glitter and paint, up to the elbow.

Kuvira placed the card to dry and ran to wash her hands. She scrubbed like crazy, fearing that she'd miss it in the ten minutes she was away. Fortunately, when she returned, Junior was still sitting there alone, bored out of his mind. They started playing cards, when Baatar peeked into the room, holding Huan.

"It's done! It's a girl." He only got a smile from Kuvira, Junior was unimpressed. She wanted to tackle him and make him be excited about this. This girl would know Kuvira for all her life. It'd be like… Well, like a real sister.

Kuvira liked the sound of that.

"Her name's Opal," Baatar continued. "Come on, your mother wants to see you."

He opened the door a bit wider and Junior ran through. Kuvira was close behind him, but the door shut right in front of her.

Maybe he didn't see her. He'd come back, she thought.

But they didn't.

It was an hour before anyone thought to come get her and that was to go to bed. Kuvira tore up the cards she made and threw them in the trash.

She didn't see Opal for another two weeks.

**oooooooooo**

**Kuvira (10) Opal (2)**

This was the day! Kuvira waited all summer for it. She was extra nice to Suyin for months to make sure she was included today. She did all her homework immediately after school, did her chores, offered babysitting even and most of all practiced and practiced her bending.

Finally, it was here. The day Toph Beifong would come to visit. For the others she was Grandma, but Kuvira wouldn't let jealously ruin her day. She'd always idolized Toph, but since being taken in by Suyin, she's heard so many amazing stories about the woman it was hard not to be obsessed.

She waited patiently in her room, until she heard a set of voices from outside. She raced out and almost bumped into Su in the hall.

"Is she here? Is she?"

"Yeah, Mom's in the sitting room. I'll just get Opal and head there. Want to come help?"

"Sure."

Kuvira actually found babysitting Opal to be entirely more enjoyable than she ever would have guessed. Not to mention she felt very trusted and proud when Su let her carry the toddler. And even more honored when Opal listened to her or mimicked her. The girl was at the stage when she still acted like no more than a dog, but it still felt good. Opal didn't know Kuvira wasn't her sister yet. And she preferred her over Junior, Huan and even Baatar.

"Who's my beautiful girl?" Su took Opal into her arms, noticing her full attention was on Kuvira. The toddler waved clumsily and Kuvira waved back.

"Well, aren't you two getting along?" Su raised an eyebrow and hurried into the hall. She handed the toddler to Kuvira before leading her into their sitting room.

Kuvira immediately recognized her greatest hero, the best earthbender in the world as she sat on the floor making a few of Huan's metal toys dance around in the air around him. She approached the woman slowly, hoping Su would break the ice and say something.

"Mom, this is Opal," Su finally spoke.

"The little one of the big one? Honestly, Su, it's hard to keep track with you." Toph turned to the two girls.

"The little one. And this is Kuvira." Su put a hand of the girl.

"Another one of yours?"

"No, Mom. We just took her in."

Kuvira wasn't happy with how she was presented, but she didn't really expect any better.

"Come on, give her over, kiddo." Toph said and Kuvira put Opal down onto her feet. The toddler immediately started taking clumsy steps towards her grandma and the flying toys. Toph scooped her up gently and placed her in her lap. Opal squealed in delight.

"Oh, it's been ages since I had anyone to play with." She touched the toddler's nose. "It this one an earthbender like me?"

"We don't know yet," started Su. "She's too young to tell."

Toph scuffed, "When Lin was this big," Toph raised Opal into the air and shook her gently. "She was throwing little pebbles already… You, you needed a little more time, my delicate one."

Kuvira took a seat on the side, and listened carefully to the conversation between Baatar, Su and Toph. With the corner of her eye, she caught Junior quietly reading to the side. She wondered if she should simply give up and go talk to him.

"Is she deaf?"

Kuvira brought her attention back to the conversation.

"You, Ku- Something or other… You hearing me?" Toph was talking to _her_. Kuvira immediately snapped back to attention.

"Yes, Ma'am."

"My girl tells me you can metalbend."

"Yes. I mean, a little." Kuvira didn't want to oversell her abilities to _Toph_, but in truth, she knew she was good. She was better than any kid she ever met. And she practiced daily, not matter if Su had time to tutor her or not.

"A little? Maybe it's time someone gave you a proper lesson, huh?"

Kuvira nodded wildly, then realized Toph couldn't see her. "Yes, yes, I'd like that."

"After we're done here then, we'll do just that."

This was the time. Kuvira had a thousand questions. But then a servant came in with desserts and the topic got changed. No matter. They could talk while they're training.

"Kuvira?" Su called her to the side after a while. "Opal's a bit fussy. You mind putting her to bed? I've sent all the servants home, since… You know, privacy."

But Kuvira knew Su did it to prevent her mother from making fun of her. Toph did that a lot. Kuvira heard the stories of her being funny, but some of the stuff she said… Well, Su looked bothered by it.

"Alright." Kuvira took Opal into her hands. The toddler made a little noise of disapproval, but Kuvira carried on into the hallway. She was a bit annoyed by this, since she liked just sitting there and watching Toph, but this should be no problem to her. She'd put Opal to bed maybe a hundred times already… She was sure of herself when she got to the girl's room.

She wasn't so sure after an hour of Opal's relentless crying and babbling.

"Ma! Ma, ma… Ma-ma…" Opal called.

"Come on, it's just you and me…" Kuvira rocked in place hoping it would soothe the little girl. "Go to sleep."

They'd come get here to get her when it was time to train with Toph, right? That's what she told herself. They had to…

"Please." Kuvira pleaded with the toddler, before signing deeply and letting Opal roam around the room. She was too embarrassed to return to Su and say she'd failed. Su should get that from the fact she hadn't returned.

"Pway." Opal brought a rubber ball and tried handing it to Kuvira.

"No, I don't want to play right now! I want…" She dropped down to sit on the floor. "I want to train with Toph. I just want one good day."

Then Opal dropped the ball, sat on Kuvira's lap and nestled up against her. She really must have been tired…

"You're right, I shouldn't… There'd be plenty of time to train with Toph next time she's in town." Kuvira lifted the little girl and placed her in her crib. Then she started telling her stories in a hushed voice and slowly Opal fell asleep.

When Kuvira came back to the sitting room, Toph was already gone. Su apologized and said they'd forgotten about her, but Kuvira wasn't angry. She couldn't have known then the next time she'd see Toph would be in seventeen years.

**oooooooooo**

**Kuvira (14) Opal (6)**

Kuvira's room wasn't very large. Ever since moving in, she made an effort to keep it incredibly tidy and organized. No one ever did any cleaning there besides her. It wasn't because Su had strict rules about that kind of thing, since she didn't… It was because no matter how many years passed, Kuvira still didn't feel like anything there belonged to her. The bed she slept on, the desk, the clothes, none of it felt hers.

The only objects there she did feel possession over were the few explicit gifts from Su. Other than putting them on display, Kuvira didn't do much more decorating.

After all, the only people that ever came to visit were Baatar Junior, when he wanted to trade her one completed math homework for one of her excellent social studies essays, and Opal when she got bored of her enormous room with tones of toys.

"Why is Junior so mean?" Opal asked, sitting on the bed as Kuvira braded her hair. The girl asked for a hairstyle _just like hers_ and Kuvira obliged.

"He's not mean, Opal. He's honest and sometimes a bit cranky."

"That's because he likes _you_." The girl winced suddenly and moved her head.

"Be still, it has to be tight or it won't look good." Kuvira did try and be gentler from then on. "What did Junior say to you anyway?"

"He said that the servants are not my friends, that they're just pretending, because it's their job."

"Well, that's actually a rather complica-"

"But he's wrong, because you're my friend, right?"

Kuvira wanted to scream.

_I. Am. Not. A. Servant._ She should have said it. But that would only make her angrier.

"Done." Kuvira tied the girl's braid so she could get her hands off her. This spoiled little brat. Her _sister_… She could never be that. Not while she thought of her in this way…

But maybe it wasn't the child's fault. Maybe they all thought of her in this way… Su called her _protégé_, Su called her _ward_, but she never called her _daughter_. So where would Opal learn it…

Kuvira was snapped out of her thoughts by a crashing sound.

"Sorry." Opal said, standing over the little pile of glass, then moved on to study other things in the room. She broke the little dancer figurine Su had bought Kuvira during her first year there. It was exquisitely beautiful. _You'll grow up to be that pretty, too, someday._ But now it was shards of glass.

"Do you see what you did?!" Kuvira pulled Opal back to look at the glass.

"I said I'm sorry." The little girl shrugged.

She _shrugged_! That figurine was the first thing Kuvira ever got from Su. One of her only possessions in the whole world and she _shrugged_…

Kuvira slapped Opal as hard as she could. The girl ran screaming out of the room.

Kuvira knew it was wrong. She knew it should have made her feel sick. But that was what she got from her mother if she broke something. Why should Opal get out of it? Why should she grow up thinking she could do whatever she wanted?

She could rationalize it all she wanted, Kuvira was still sobbing because of what she did. She locked the door with her bending so only Su could open it when she returned from her trip. Her husband tried talking through the door, but Kuvira ignored him. Later someone pushed a plate of food under the door. She knew it was Junior.

Kuvira cried herself to sleep. Sometime during the night, she woke seemingly for no reason then saw a shadow over her.

"What am I going to do with you?" Su sat next to her on the bed.

And just like she'd never stopped, Kuvira was crying again. "I'm sorry… I'm so… So sorry. I didn't want to… I just… I'm sorry… I'll pack. I'll go wherever you tell me… I-"

Suyin pulled her into a hug and let the girl sob into her shoulder. "I'm not sending you away, Kuvira. I understand. I hurt my sister, too. Even though I loved her. And I'd do anything to take it back."

She gave Kuvira a few moments to calm down a bit, then she continued.

"But Opal is younger than you, it can never happen again. How would you feel if I just hit you when I didn't like what you were doing?"

_I'd prefer beating me over ignoring me._

"I… I understand. I promise… Promise, never again."

Su pulled away and wiped the tears from the girl's face before taking a moment to study it in the dim light. Kuvira tried her best to push down any anger she had left. She let just the guilt show. There was so much of it…

"I hope you mean it, Kuvira." Su stroked her hair gently, but her words were firm. "I already told Opal you're very sorry. You'll apologize tomorrow, first thing in the morning."

"Yes, of course…"

"And then…" Su looked like she wasn't sure about her next sentence. "Then I think it'd be best if you stayed away from Opal for a while."

Kuvira nodded and watched as Su left her room.

**oooooooooo**

**Kuvira (18) Opal (10)**

_One, two, three…_

_One two, three…_

_One, two, three, turn!_

It was Kuvira's fifth time going through her dance routine, and it was flawless by that point. She never got stage fright, so she should be able to do it just as perfectly at the performance. This was just so that when Su asked if she'd practiced today, she could say yes.

On that last turn she was sure she heard the door open. She stopped, expecting to find Junior, who liked to find her alone since this _thing_ between them started. But it was Opal. Little Opal in her flowy dress, mimicking Kuvira's movements awkwardly. Kuvira greeted her and carried on practicing.

"Are you nervous about tomorrow?" the girl asked.

"No."

"Well, I think you're going to do great."

"Is there something you wanted, Opal?" Kuvira stopped her dancing for a moment.

"Is it really your birthday today?"

"No." Kuvira continued her steps.

_One, two, three…_

"But Mom said-"

"Opal, she isn't almighty, she can't make it be my birthday!" Kuvira lost control of her voice for just a few seconds and already Opal stepped away, face in horror. "I'm sorry. Wait."

Kuvira's mother would always scream at her when she asked about a birthday.

_Other kids have birthdays…_

_Well, other kids do what they're told!_

"I didn't want you to get mad." Opal murmured.

Kuvira took a few slow steps towards her and kneeled next to the girl. Her _almost sister_.

"The truth is, my parents never bothered to remember my birthday… So I don't have one. Not really. Su didn't like the idea so she made me choose one, but it's not real. It's just a Tuesday, really."

Then the little brat did something Kuvira couldn't predict in million years. She hugged her. And not one of those obligatory hugs you give when relatives come to visit. She hugged and held on. "Happy Tuesday, Kuvira."

"Yeah. You too, kid." Returning the hug almost made Kuvira burst into tears.

Opal tried to let go after a while, but Kuvira was still holding on. She remained still for a few more seconds before standing up and taking a few steps back.

"You like dancing too?" she asked Opal.

"Oh, yes. I've been practicing a lot."

"Really?"

"Mostly… In my room." The girl looked away.

"You know, I could show you some moves now."

"But I can't dance like you and Mom… I can't metalbend the props."

Kuvira never thought about how not being a bender with such a famous bending name affected the girl. She was old enough to notice when people were disappointed. Junior didn't seem to have a problem with it, but he was a lot like his dad in most ways. Opal, she was another story.

"I could move them around for you. Just this once." Kuvira suggested.

"I can't… Isn't it dangerous?"

"Not with me doing the bending, it isn't." She was expecting the little spoiled girl to back out of it, but to her great surprise, Opal smiled and ran to the center of the stage.

Kuvira made the metal petals dance and Opal danced with them. Su did eventually find them in the act since Opal was laughing way to loudly, but she didn't have the heart to punish them when she saw Kuvira laughing too.

**oooooooooo**

**Kuvira (22) Opal (14)**

Junior's sleep was interrupted by a jab to the ribs. He ignored it.

"Get out."

He was pushed out of bed.

"Kuvira…"

"I have guard duty, and you have to get back to your room before dawn." She jumped to her feet and begun dressing. They always used her room, since there was no way anyone would want to go there. The bed was meant for a single person, but they made do.

By the time Junior's vision cleared, Kuvira was already dressed and making the bed. He caught her in a kiss just as she was finished.

"I'll be working in Dad's office the entire day. How about a lunch time visit?" He asked, while putting on his pants.

"Too risky. And why don't you just call it your office? You're the one that does all the work anyway. All the ideas are yours." She bended on most of her armor, except the helmet.

"I still need his help to make them work."

"That's just the thing, Baatar… No, you don't. He doesn't appreciate you enough…"

"And you guarding a… Kindergarten, was it? That's your full potential?" He was fully dressed and just stood there with his hands on his hips.

"Touché." Kuvira leaned into one more kiss, but it lasted far longer than either of them wished. She just couldn't bring herself to pull away, and start the tedious day… They were so preoccupied, neither of them heard the door.

Kuvira was the first one to notice Opal staring at them from the hallway, horrified. Immediately, she pushed Junior away, hoping his sister's face would change to a more pleasant emotion. Hoping she'd laugh, or smile, or at least roll her eyes and walk away. But she didn't.

"What are you-"

"We can explain!" Junior yelled, like they've been caught with a bomb…

Kuvira knew she had to take control of the situation, or it would go bad soon. She reached out and pulled Opal into the room, closing the door behind her. Then she gestured for Junior to leave them.

"I'll handle this," she promised. Junior nodded and left through the window like every morning.

"You wanted to see me?" Kuvira turned to Opal next. They've had a good relationship up until then, there was no reason to believe this would end that.

"How… How long has this been happening?" the girl asked.

"A couple of months," Kuvira lied. There was no reason for her to know it had started years ago.

"It's longer than that, isn't it?"

"I don't see the problem. We're not hurting anybody, we're not actually related, and it makes us both happy."

"But you didn't tell anybody."

Kuvira felt like she was under attack. She had one good thing in her life now, one thing that was _hers_. The prospect of it being tainted or taken away, had her at her most defensive. But she managed to relax. This was no enemy. This was her… _Sister_, for the lack of a better word. Opal wished her no harm. And especially not to Junior.

But how could she explain it to _Miss. Perfect_? How could she explain her fear that if anyone else knew about it, they'd try to take it away from her. That if Suyin knew, she'd tell Junior how broken Kuvira used to be. How broken she still was.

"We… We just didn't want anyone getting in the middle of it. So please don't tell anyone."

"I… I can't lie to Mom."

Of course… Of course, Opal thought her mother had a right to be a part of everything. And how could Kuvira ever explain that Su wasn't the same with her and Opal.

Opal told Suyin.

Kuvira tried to convince herself it might turn out to be a good thing. Maybe Su would finally except her into the family completely. Maybe everything would change. Maybe the family would improve…

Su said she didn't object to the relationship. _Didn't object_, not _approved_. Kuvira still believed she could change the woman's mind. In time, maybe… But Su's feelings were made clear when Kuvira started getting almost exclusively night shifts while Junior worked with his father by day.

Kuvira tried not to blame Opal. But she couldn't blame Su… She took her in, she'd saved her. So who else was there?

**oooooooooo**

Kuvira detested fairytales, but there was one she found herself thinking about well into adulthood. Another story of birds and belonging. There once lived a very ugly turtle duckling, who was ridiculed and ostracized by everyone for being different. Then one day it went out on its own and happened upon a flock of swans. It realized then it wasn't ugly at all, it just wasn't a turtle duck. It was a swan all along.

That's what Kuvira thought about while Zaofu was fading into the distance behind her. The Beifongs raised her, but she never belonged. She was always a swan. It was time to stop hiding amongst the turtle ducks and do what only she was strong enough to.

**oooooooooo**

_**Okay, so this is my crack at it. Kuvira's a difficult character for me to pin down.**_

_**Thanks for reading and if you have any thoughts direct them into the comments :)**_


End file.
